Constitution

To promote and contribute to the development of programs, education and instruction, and research in the general field of public administration.

Title | Purposes | Membership | Organizational Structure | Responsibilities of CAPPA | Relations with IPAC | Fees | Amendment | Language | Validity | Annual Year | Procedure

1. TITLE: The name of the organization shall be the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration/L’association canadienne de programmes en administration publique.

2. PURPOSES: The purposes of the organization shall be to promote and contribute to the development of programs, education and instruction, and research in the general field of public administration in English and in French by:

  1. functioning as a regular network for the communication of information;
  2. liaising with governments at all levels;
  3. conducting research;
  4. facilitating the dissemination of research;
  5. sponsoring conferences, seminars and symposia;
  6. liaising with the Institute of Public Administration of Canada;
  7. undertaking international activities, as decided upon by the Executive;
  8. undertaking such additional activities as may, from time to time, be recommended by the executive of IPAC.

3. MEMBERSHIP: Membership in the organization shall be open to:

  1. graduate schools of public administration, public management, and administrative studies and public affairs;
  2. any university or community college in Canada in which a program leading to a degree, diploma or certificate in public administration or public management is a significant component;
  3. any other university or community college department such as political science, politics or political studies, in which courses in public administration are a regular component of the curriculum;
  4. any public/civil service commission, management training office or other instructional entity entirely within a government.

4. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE:

Executive: The Executive of the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration shall consist of:

  1. 1 President
  2. 1 Past-President (ex officio)
  3. 1 Past-President Emeritus (ex officio)
  4. 1 Vice-President
  5. 1 Treasurer
  6. 1 Secretary
  7. Members-at-large (number to be determined each year but not to exceed 10)
  8. CPA Editor
  9. 1 Representative from IPAC

The Executive is accountable to the membership and acts on its behalf to:

  1. fulfill the CAPPA’s mission and to set priorities and ensure that it has sufficient resources to carry out its mission while overseeing its finances;
  2. approve an annual budget;
  3. approve major expenses and deviation in budget;
  4. ensure compliance with any legal obligations assess the overall performance of the organization.

CAPPA shall elect a President for a two-year term at every other annual meeting. The President will normally have served on the Executive before the appointment.

The President of CAPPA must be a member of one of the graduate schools, programs, or departments listed in paragraphs 3(1), 3(2), or 3 (3) above. The President may serve a maximum of two consecutive two-year terms. CAPPA will choose a President-elect at the annual meeting held one year before the conclusion of the President’s final term of office. Voting is restricted to the General Membership present at the annual meeting.

The President of the Association has the following responsibilities:

  1. to provide leadership to the organization;
  2. chair the meetings of the Executive, the Membership Board and the Annual General Membership;
  3. take the lead in preparing the agenda for all meetings;
  4. present within a month of the Annual General Meeting a slate of nominees to sit on the Executive for the following year;
  5. act as the representative of, and spokesperson for, the organization in dealings with external stakeholders.

The term of office for Executive members other than the President shall be one year, that is, from an annual meeting to the next. No person shall normally serve in the same Executive position for more than four consecutive years. Executive members other than the President shall be elected yearly at the annual meeting by the General Membership. Efforts should be made to ensure a balance of people from graduate and undergraduate programs as well as gender, regional and linguistic representation on the Executive While the President will present a slate of nominee, nominations from the floor, including self-nominations, at the annual meeting are accepted.

The Executive shall have the right to establish such committees as it sees fit, establish the membership and terms of reference of those committees, and abolish the committees.

The Treasurer has the following responsibilities, to:

  1. oversee the finances of the Association;
  2. develop an annual budget for the Association to be submitted to the General Membership for approval. Note: Expenditures over $1000 must be approved by the Executive and single expenditures over $100 will be cleared with the treasurer before transactions are made.

The Secretary is to record and disseminate, or cause to be recorded and disseminated, the minutes of meetings of the Executive, the Membership Board and the Annual General Membership. The Secretary will also ensure that the Association’s documents of relevance are kept as needed.

The Membership Board is composed of school or program director of all member programs. The Board meets at the discretion of the President. The Board provides guidance and direction to the Executive.

The General Membership is composed of all faculty members whose school or program is a paid member of the Association. The General Membership is invited to the Association’s annual meeting. The General Membership is to provide guidance and direction to the Executive.

5. RESPONSIBILITIES OF CAPPA: The responsibilities of CAPPA shall include but not be limited to the following:

  1. APPA shall endeavour to heighten awareness of public administration education, research, programs and graduates.
  2. The holding of an annual meeting, normally at the time of the annual conference at which reports will be given and new elections held. The quorum for the Annual General Meeting is 50% of the General Membership present at the conference.
  3. The holding of an annual conference on public administration.
  4. CAPPA shall maintain a Web site that shall include an up-to-date listing of public administration programs in Canada and relevant news.
  5. CAPPA shall, in partnership with IPAC and interested student groups, sponsor an annual program of recognition and/or awards for outstanding achievements by students in CAPPA member programs.
  6. CAPPA shall work with appropriate government agencies in all spheres of government in such activities as sponsorship of seminars and conferences, and the establishment of various types of internships and fellowships.
  7. CAPPA shall undertake such activities in the international sphere which will further its aims, including collaborating on projects of interest with NASPAA.
  8. The Executive shall choose a Chair of the Accreditation Board.
  9. The Executive shall choose a three to five-person arm’s-length accreditation board based on the recommendation of the Chair of the Accreditation Board.

6. RELATIONS WITH IPAC: CAPPA agrees to be considered as an academic affiliate of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada.

7. FEES: There shall be an annual membership fee. The fee structure shall be approved annually at the Annual General Meeting.

8. AMENDMENT: This Constitution may be amended by a two thirds majority vote of the General Membership, whose program have paid their dues, present and voting at the annual meeting. To be a valid amendment, notice of the amendment must be proposed in writing to the Executive so that all members may have at least one month notice of the proposal prior to the annual meeting.

9. LANGUAGE: The Association is bilingual and is to operate, whenever possible, in English and in French.

10. VALIDITY: This Constitution is valid in both official languages. In case of a discrepancy, the English version shall prevail.

11. ANNUAL YEAR: The CAPPA annual year shall run from 1 April to 31 March.

12. PROCEDURE: The proceedings of all official meetings will follow Roberts Rules of Order (Revised).